Joseph Strutt, A biographical dictionary: containing an historical account of all the engravers, from the earliest period of the art of engraving to the present time ; and a short list of their most esteemed works, 2 vols., London 1785-1786

George Cumberland, An essay on the utility of collecting the best works of the ancient engravers of the Italian school; accompanied by a critical catalogue, with interesting anecdotes of the engravers, of a chronological series of rare and valuable prints, from the earliest practice of the art in Italy to the year 1549, now deposited in the British Museum and Royal Academy, in London, London 1827

The composition is Parmigianino's adaptation of Raphael's design for the Sistine Chapel tapestries. Parmigianino's role in the production of this print has caused controversy. If the tone blocks were added by Parmigianino himself, the print would be, along with those by Domenico Beccafumi, one of the first examples of the mixture of intaglio and relief methods. However, it is impossible to determine whether the print was intended to receive tone blocks from the start. While the attribution of the print has been also disputed by many scholars, we have no doubt that the first version of the etching printed with only one wood block was made by Parmigianino himself in close collaboration with a professional woodcutter, such as Ugo da Carpi or Antonio da Trento. This drastically reworked impression is generally described as a copy, but is actually a later state of the original printed from two new tone blocks added by the publisher.